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Debilitating migraines affect 30 million people in the United States. And it's not just the migraine sufferer who's affected by this condition — a study in the American Journal of Managed Care reported that families with a member who suffers from migraines spend 70 percent more every year on medical costs compared with other families. Additionally, other members of the family are likely to have higher medical costs, which suggest that the condition may add to unhealthy stress for everyone in the house.

But for many migraineurs (people with chronic migraines), family and friends can play a vital role in helping to find relief from this debilitating condition. If you have a loved one with migraines, here's what he or she needs you to know.

Caregiving Help: Recognizing Migraine

Caregivers need to know that migraines are not just bad headaches. The pain can be debilitating and intense — but some migraine sufferers themselves may not be aware that they have a specific condition that is treatable. Here are the signs and symptoms that let you know your loved one is experiencing migraines:

Extreme sensitivity to sounds and bright lights

Headache pain that pulsates or throbs

Moderate to severe pain that often is on one side of the head, but may be on both

Pain accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting

Pain that interferes with normal activities

Pain that worsens during physical activity

Some people with migraine experience what is known as “migraine with aura.” They see flashes, zigzag lines of light, or blind spots about 15 to 30 minutes before the migraine pain actually starts. This warning sign can be helpful because it’s an alert to take medication immediately that can stop or lessen the migraine.

If your loved one’s pain doesn’t respond to the usual over-the-counter headache medicine and he or she needs to sit in a quiet, dark room to help calm the pounding, chances are a migraine is the problem and targeted migraine relief is needed.

Caregiving for Children: They Get Migraines, Too

Children can and do suffer from migraines, but their symptoms might be somewhat different. Children's migraines usually last for a shorter period of time, but they can include all of the above-mentioned symptoms. Children might also have all of these symptoms and no head pain at all. Visit a pediatric neurologist if you are seeking migraine relief for a child.

Helping Someone Get Migraine Relief

If your loved one hasn't yet sought medical attention for migraines — either because he or she didn’t recognize the condition or doesn’t know there are specific treatments available — help them out by making that first doctor’s appointment. If a past visit to the doctor didn’t result in migraine relief, it could be time to try again. A new category of prescription drugs, called triptans, is providing migraine relief for many poeple. There are also other options a headache specialist can try.

"If a person with migraines doesn't want to seek treatment, they are in denial and the family should put pressure on them to get help because there is treatment available," says Seymour Diamond, MD, executive chairman of the National Headache Foundation, director and founder of the Diamond Headache Clinic, and the director of the Inpatient Headache Unit at Saint Joseph Hospital, all in Chicago.

Caregiving Alert: When Migraine-Like Pain May Mean Something Else

Your family member may have found migraine relief with medication or preventive techniques, but your caregiving duties aren't over if the pattern of headaches changes. Not all severe headache pain is migraine, and the pain may signal a more serious medical problem. Your loved one needs immediate medical attention if any of the following symptoms develop:

A headache that occurs after a head injury

A very sudden, severe headache that is new or different from your usual migraines

An ongoing headache that gets worse after exertion, coughing, or sudden movement

New migraine-level headache pain after the age of 50

A headache that is accompanied by a fever, rash, stiff neck, confusion, a seizure, vision problems, numbness or weakness, or difficulty speaking

Explain to your loved one that it's very important to get an accurate diagnosis, whether it's ongoing migraines or a sudden-onset severe headache. There are a variety of medications, therapies, and lifestyle changes that can provide significant migraine relief.